Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. Invests $259,000 in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,948 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE:WMT traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $97.46. 15,583,112 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,882,163. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $94.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $779.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.64 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,972,517 shares in the company, valued at $340,166,630.71. This trade represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.